Born in Munich, he studied singing at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München.

He began his career at the opera house in Saarbrücken and soon after became a member of the Zurich Opera. Since his debut at the New York Opera in 2006, he has been singing at major theatres all over the world.

He made his debut at the Gran Teatre del Liceu in the 2004/05 season with the Missa Solemnis op. 123 and returned with a recital (2013/14) and Andrea Chénier (2017/18).